Introducing a neutered male

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KLM23

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Hi we got 2 sows a week ago from a breeder nearby. One of the sows is definitely the more dominant of the two but they seem to get on ok. One is 9 weeks and the other 10 weeks. They both are so little and very terrified but are eating well and starting to wander around their hutch but don't make any noises.

My daughter was watching a guinea pig youtube video near the hutch earlier and when they heard the noise they started wheaking like mad. They come from a breeder with 50 piggies and I wonder if they are a little lonely.

One of the local blue cross rescue has a neutered boar who is 8 months old. Our hutch is big enough according to their standards to have a boar and 2 sows. However, as a new owner is there anything I should consider? I'm aware of the need to quarantine but do the pigs need to be bonded in the same way as 2 boars?

Thanks for your help.
 
Hi,

Firstly congrats on your two girls guinea pigs make such fabulous pets as I’m sure you’re seeing.

In terms of the wheeking to the video, I don’t think this is due to loneliness. My boys do it also as does other species like my dogs if they hear one on the TV or cats if they hear a miaow. They are likely just saying “who are you”.

Now this doesn’t mean definitely don’t rehouse the boy (so long as the cage meets the requirements and you can care for another). You would have to ensure the boy is definitely neutered to prevent breeding and be aware that this could impact the bond your two girls have already made together. It could potentially lead to a fallout as with any new introduction. Furthermore, you should take into account when the girls go into season and get all hormonal. The presence of a boy might make squabbles a little more likely to happen but again this isn’t always the case.
 
KLM23 said:
Hi we got 2 sows a week ago from a breeder nearby. One of the sows is definitely the more dominant of the two but they seem to get on ok. One is 9 weeks and the other 10 weeks. They both are so little and very terrified but are eating well and starting to wander around their hutch but don't make any noises.

My daughter was watching a guinea pig youtube video near the hutch earlier and when they heard the noise they started wheaking like mad. They come from a breeder with 50 piggies and I wonder if they are a little lonely.

One of the local blue cross rescue has a neutered boar who is 8 months old. Our hutch is big enough according to their standards to have a boar and 2 sows. However, as a new owner is there anything I should consider? I'm aware of the need to quarantine but do the pigs need to be bonded in the same way as 2 boars?

Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

Your baby girls are young enough to be desperate for a guardian piggy to take them on, and he will be delighted. There is very little risk of the bonding to fail as belonging and having an older piggy taking care of you during the formative weeks is paramount for youngsters of either gender. I have bonded quite a few 'wifelets' with neutered boars of all ages (from teenagers to adult ex-single boars with some social hang-ups to 5 years old widowers); it has always been a very happy and lasting 'marriage'.

You can find more baby bonding videos in our very detailed and comprehensive bonding guide that takes you step-by-step through all the stages of the complex bonding process with the appropriate behaviours, starting from the preparation until the end of the post-intro ca. 2 weeks dominance phase. You should find the guide very helpful as I have yet to see a more detailed practical guide.
Here is the link; you may want to bookmark it. Please be aware that a neutered boar behaves exactly like a normal one with the only exception that from 6 weeks after his operation there is no further risk of babies.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
 
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